Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-23
THE GAME OF WHIST.
Women Delving into its Mysteries,
The Theory OF the Lords
of Creation that
The Gentlsr Sex Can't Keep Still
Exploded by the Fact That
They Are Doing 1t.
Chicago Hera' d.

Chicago Herald.
refuse to believe that it is because sit
is English, you know" that the game of
whist has grown into such popularity Of
late with Americans. We have rushed
into all sorts of silly ideas and some good
ones for this reason, but here is an Rmuse-
ment which was stealing its way into our
liking long before any English fads won
our tickle fancy. Quite lately
young people have commenced play
ing the game, and taking thorough inter
est in playing it well. They study assid
uOusly Pole, Walker and Cavendish, and,
as ThaCkeray advised, "pTepaTing pleas
ant old age for themselves" 1t has long
been a habit with men to sheer at women
attempting this game. "a woman can't
Keep still long enough" they very often
say. What do these lords of creation
think now that the very girls are
looking deeper into the why's
and WherefOTes than their own illustriOus
selves have ever cared to study? In our
own city there is q little party of clever
women, four in number, who meet week
", one afternoon, to study the science of
the game. And not only to them, but to
dozens of others, young and old, have the
penultimate, the echo, etc, become as
familiar and easily understood terms as
10 any club mau about town.
At Vassar the students are quite as de-
voted to whist as at Williams, and many
of the recreation hours are earnestly de-
voted to this agreeable combination of
study and amusement.
& peep into many a parlOr wilt show
four girlish heads gathered about card
table, while "blue eyes and brown"
black and gray, are attentively bent on
the 'green board"
There can be no better time for wO-
menkind to learn whist than in youth, for
the lives we lead, as the years are num-
bered over our heads, do not tend to
keep our minds IN training as does the
business life of man. And we all realize
IN one way or another how soon the
memory grows rusty. Even to thUse who
are stuGents the temptation is almost al
ways too strong to devour every species
of literary food that comes TO hand, and
this desultory habit is quite as weaken
ing to ones memory as g iudicious use of
books, profitable, methOdiCsl reading,
is strengthening.
4 good memory is needed to play good
whist: it is indeed the essential point.
To only an average player thirty-fve or
forty of the titty-two cards played in
each hand convey certain information,
which must be retained until the hand is
finished. To q fair player every card
tells its own story; to q good player each
card as 1t is thrown has more than one
significance. How, then, can one hope to
learn the gsme when years Of idle,
thoughtless habits have despOlled and
wasted that precious gift with which
nature endowed mankind, the memory?
We have little book of our own called
american Whist at which English
neighbors need not sneer. 1t is as
cleverly adapted TO suit American ideas
as the French and Englisn styles of dress
aTe toned down by our own best mOdistes
and tailOrs. There should be more atten-
ton paid to the laws and penalties of
misplsy. Nothing will tend more
strongly to fix law in ones memory than
to have the opponents score three points
st a most critical time in the game for
stupid, ineXcusable blunder of ones
own.
1t is astonishing how the most even
tempered person Will fly into rage at
cards; but it is, and has been,au admitted
truth ever since the world and card play
ing were very young. l sat down TO q
single rubber one evening with some
English people IN the Isle of Wight
and saw q middle aged gentleman,
the most charming of hosts, the most
CHEEKY of husbands, the kindliest, most
jovial of fathers, absolutely throw his
cards upon the floor in a 1t Of childish
passion and petulance over a dispute
about the last triCk-lesve the table, his
guests and the room, declaring he would
never touch another card. And this
man who, through other annOYances,
never loses his eYenly-bslanced serenity.
One of the easiest and most pleasant
ways q hostess has ever found 10 enter
tain q small psrtv of friends has been
with progressive euChre, and yet so
prone are we to change, so much the
slave to fashion, that few persons have !
been brave enough this season TO meet |
the scorn of blsse wording $50 tired OF
the game" and invite their friends |
to spend an evening in this way. Those |
very same sCOrneTs were delighted 10 Join |
progressive euchre clubs q year or TWO |
ago. 1t seems pity TO let 60 a good |
thing after having the trouble Of fading |
it, but progressive euchre has gone out !
aud drive whist has come in. We are the |
gamers by the exchange.
The hostess has as little anxiety or
trouble, the guests entertain themselves,
that general weakness Of humsnity-the
desire to win something's psmEered,
and drive whist may be, and is, the first
step that many take to pleasant hours az
whist table, where not only amusement (
but profit Is always found. There are SO